Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: What the Hell Does This Bastard Do in Real Life?

Even Shuitan found it difficult to contain his excitement.

He hurriedly thanked the Fifth Elder, who then dismissed him, saying he needed to rest.

If not for the strange feeling he had, the Fifth Elder could almost be considered a philanthropist.

It was only after he stepped outside that he saw Jiang Qi waiting for him.

Jiang Qi had already received a voice transmission. He now looked at Shuitan, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Congratulations, Ninth Junior Brother."

It was impossible to tell from his expression whether he was happy for Shuitan or not.

But he didn’t seem displeased, either.

Shuitan also adopted a serious expression. "I’ll be in your care, Senior Brother Jiang."

Jiang Qi turned his head away. "Each of Master’s disciples has their own residence. I’ll take you there. From now on, you are Master’s disciple. When you’re out in the world, do not bring shame to his venerable name."

"I know, Senior Brother. I will work hard to repay Master for taking me in."

Only then did Jiang Qi turn his head back to give Shuitan a meaningful look.

Shuitan’s expression didn’t show excessive sycophancy or surprise; on the whole, he seemed rather composed.

After a moment, a hint of pity appeared in Jiang Qi’s eyes.

Feigning curiosity, Shuitan asked, "Senior Brother Jiang, where are Master’s other disciples?"

"I am your Eldest Senior Brother," Jiang Qi said. "Your other senior brothers and sisters are all out gaining experience. You will go out too. You’ll meet them sooner or later."

Shuitan nodded, indicating he wouldn’t press the matter.

***

Over on First Mountain, the System said to Song Jiu, "Why can’t we have a few more big suckers like this?"

The Fifth Elder was certainly generous.

Sea View Sect normally distributed its Cultivation Techniques one part at a time. Many Inner Sect Disciples wouldn’t get the same treatment as Shuitan, who received the complete technique at once.

The perks of being an elder’s disciple!

Song Jiulai was filled with envy. "How come everyone gets something, and I’m the only one left out!"

"You have me, what’s there to be afraid of? The rewards you get from completing missions will only be better than what these local Cultivators can offer."

Song Jiulai considered this. "That’s true."

The System said, "We just happened to stumble upon Shuitan’s situation. If a normal Cultivator fell into the Fifth Elder’s hands, their life would essentially be over."

All their cultivation would just be paving the way for the Fifth Elder.

Song Jiulai grew curious about the Fifth Elder’s sinister nature. "Sea View Sect has an elder like him... do they even know?"

"They definitely don’t know. After all, this sort of thing is condemned throughout the Cultivator World. I’ve only ever heard of a Cultivator’s consciousness being attached to a puppet as a substitute; I’ve never heard of body-snatching being a viable, stable practice. But I’m sure there are Cultivators who do it in secret."

This Fifth Elder from Sea View Sect wasn’t the first, and he wouldn’t be the last.

Who doesn’t want to live forever?

Even though those at the Nascent Soul Stage and above live for a very long time, they haven’t reached the ultimate goal. They just want more.

When their cultivation stagnates, resentment festers in their hearts.

They resent the Heavenly Dao’s injustice and their own inability to advance. It’s only natural for wicked thoughts to arise.

Song Jiulai, however, thought, "It’s hard to say."

’Within a Sect, if someone is breaking the rules, it’s unlikely that those with even higher cultivation wouldn’t notice something.’

But it was a complicated matter, and gossip concerning a Major Sect at that. For the current Song Jiulai to have learned such a shocking secret by relying on the System—her "cheat"—was already staggering enough.

She had to keep her mouth shut.

The System didn’t tell Shuitan about the Fifth Elder’s true intentions, either. He was now living under the elder’s surveillance; if he were told the truth and something went wrong, the consequences would be dire.

It just said it was still analyzing data and told Shuitan to focus on his cultivation for now.

After all, there was nothing wrong with the items he’d been given.

Shuitan himself could sense that something wasn’t quite right, but since the System said the Cultivation Techniques were fine, he gladly accepted them.

Shuitan had never expected to receive such benefits from coming to the Sea View Sect.

Shuitan agonized over whether he should tell the other players.

The players knew he was going undercover in the Sea View Sect, but if he revealed this new development, loose lips could be a problem.

In the end, he asked his leader for advice, and the leader also recommended he keep it quiet.

It wasn’t out of fear that the players would get jealous, but rather that they wouldn’t be able to keep a secret. If someone let it slip in-game and the local Cultivators found out, it would be a bad situation all around.

Still, nobody had expected this kid Shuitan to have such incredible luck just from playing a game.

Right now, Shuitan was probably leading the pack among all the players, right?

Meanwhile, in the game, Han Tian had already led his group to the Taohua Sect.

The Taohua Sect also resided on a mountain, but it was the only Sect in the area.

The disciples of the Taohua Sect rarely came down from the mountain, but the Sect’s influence was heavily felt in the county town below.

Because there were peach blossoms everywhere.

Anyone with a pollen allergy would be toast the second they set foot here.

But with peach blossoms everywhere, the scenery was, of course, stunning.

After Han Tian and his group arrived, he started his live stream to show everyone the beautiful scenery of the county town near the Taohua Sect.

With Han Tian streaming more frequently and showcasing a growing number of locations, most viewers were now convinced that this was a real game.

Thanks to the buzz around it being a full-dive VR game, Han Tian’s viewership was steadily climbing again, surpassing its initial peak.

Many people even treated his stream as a "dinner show," watching it while they ate.

More and more people were begging for a spot in the Broken Sect’s recruitment.

But with more viewers came all kinds of crazies.

For example, some were constantly questioning why mortals could coexist peacefully with Cultivators.

"[For real, if I were a Cultivator, I’d never see mortals as people. The unrealistic part of this game is that you have mortals living right under a Cultivator Sect. Normally, a Sect would definitely be secluded from the world.]"

Han Tian saw the comment and replied directly, "You can’t really say that. There are far more mortals than Cultivators on the Yunzhou Continent. You have to put all these mortals somewhere, right? Besides, we’re players."

"[Curious, with so many players, why don’t you guys team up and rob other Cultivators? Isn’t killing and looting a faster way to get rich?]"

Han Tian’s lip twitched. "You think you can get away with that? Do you really think no one would be able to track you down? Our entire Sect is tiny. If we piss off someone with a real background, the whole Sect will be annihilated."

’Besides, we’re all just players at heart. Most of us have probably never even killed a chicken in real life. In a full-dive VR game that feels this real, you really think we’d dare to murder someone?!’

’We’re playing a game, not turning into psychopaths.’

"[So timid even in a game. If you’re scared of everything, you might as well not play. What a trash game. The whole point of being a player is to be treated like an Emperor. Who wants to play a game that’s so restrictive?]"

Han Tian shot back, "Well said. I hope you keep that same arrogant energy when you’re trying to get a spot."

While Han Tian bickered with his viewers, the Daoist had already started making inquiries about the county.

The atmosphere in Wang’an County had been quite liberal; they had no idea what to expect here.

Just then, a familiar face spotted the Daoist and his companions.

"Huh—?"

Lü Rongyu spotted the Daoist and his companions and came over, looking delighted.

"Junior Brothers, what brings you all the way out here? Did you come specifically to find me?"

The moment the Daoist saw Lü Rongyu, the words just flowed smoothly from his lips.

"We did, Senior Brother! We made a special trip just for you, though we also have some other business to attend to. You see, our Sect just perfected a new batch of fruit wine, and we came all this way to get your expert opinion."

Han Tian, standing to the side: "..."

’What the hell did this bastard do for a living in the real world?’